Reds' Manager Terry Francona Sings Highest of Praises for Rookie Sal Stewart

Ever since day one of Spring Training, the Cincinnati Reds have shown that they believe in Sal Stewart's ability to be an impact player. It's safe to say that he has exceeded every expectation. He has quickly become arguably the most impactful player in the lineup and should be the frontrunner for the National League Rookie of the Year.

Sal Stewart Is Having A Rookie Season For The Ages

This season, Stewart is slashing .255/.333/.479 with 25 home runs, 87 RBI, 23 doubles, and 12 stolen bases. His 87 RBI are second in Major League Baseball and lead all rookies. He leads the Reds in hits (111), RBI, home runs, and doubles. He's second in walks (52), average, slugging percentage, and OPS. Reds manager Terry Francona stated his case for the 22-year-old to be the NL Rookie of the Year on MLB Network Radio.

"From day one, we hit him right in the middle of the order," Francona said. “That’s not an easy thing for a kid to do, not easy for anybody to do. He has more than held up his end of the bargain. You see a lot of young guys that get hot the first month of the season, then the league makes its adjustments. That's what happened with Sal, but then he's made his adjustments back like good hitters do. He's one of the most productive hitters in our game."

In Spring Training, the Reds committed to having him hit in the cleanup spot. That's fresh off of the team signing Eugenio Suarez, who hit 49 home runs the season prior in 2025. Like any young player, there are always questions about if they will be able to handle the pressure of big league pitching and being productive.

“Hopefully someone like him helps us develop some of our younger players,” assistant hitting coach Alex Peláez told Charlie Goldsmith in Spring Training. “Hopefully, it’s the same thing with Sal and what he values. He understands what his strengths are. He knows what he can hit and what he can’t hit, which is a big one. Young players think they can hit everything. That’s his biggest thing. He knows himself and isn’t trying to be someone that he’s not.”

The Reds need to do whatever it takes to try and extend Stewart. They have already committed to Chase Burns by giving him a seven-year, $105 million contract. There's always the question of the Collective Bargaining Agreement that ends this December, but the Reds need to find a way to lock him up for the long haul.

Cementing His Place In Reds History

Stewart is already cementing himself in Reds' history. On Thursday, he hit his 25th home run of the season. He passed Reds legend Joey Votto for the second most home runs by a Reds rookie with that long ball, and now he is just 13 home runs away from tying Frank Robinson for the most home runs by a Reds rookie all-time. He's 14 RBI away from breaking the Reds' modern-day record for RBI in a season.

It's safe to say Stewart has done everything the Reds could have hoped for and more.

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